The reports of corruption within the National Transitional
Government of Liberia (NTGL) headed by Chairman Charles Gyude Bryant
is said to be rocking every sectors of the Liberian society, with
the first Branch of Government being no exception.

In the wake of mounting public concern about the level
at which corruption is thriving in the National Transitional Legislative
Assembly (NTLA), the body has taken some major steps to expose members
who are involved in the act of corruption.

Besides the public, some employees of the First Branch
of Government have in recent time filed a complaint to the NTLA Plenary-the
highest decision making body of the House on grounds that certain
lawmakers were in the habit of pocketing their employee’s monthly
salaries and benefits, while some of the employees were on a daily
basis being dismissed and replaced with family members of lawmakers.

It was against this background that the Plenary body
constituted a Special Ad Hoc Investigating Committee headed by Montserrado
Lawmaker, Julius Parker, former Superintendent of Montserrado county
under the Charles Taylor administration to investigate the employees’
complaints of corruption by certain lawmakers and recommend appropriate
action to deter the reoccurrence of the situation.

Though Mr. Parker is being accused of being a high school
degenerate, on July 1st, the his committee released its report at
the Chamber conducted in camera, with four lawmakers pinpointed for
corrupt practices, ranging from pocketing employees monthly salary
to illegal dismissals.

The lawmakers involved in this malpractices and corrupt
attitudes include Representatives J. Tarty Tipayson of the People’s
Democratic Party of Liberia (PDPL), which Dr. George Toe-Washington
heads as its Standard-Bearer. Lawmaker Tipayson recently accused Chairman
Bryant of being corrupt while his party-PDPL also took Charles Bennie
to task for exposing corruption in government.

Others are Edward Kpulun of LURD, Madam Merriam Jaleiba
of LURD, Bangalay Sirleaf also from LURD. But political observers
believe that the Parker Committee needs to do more as there are more
corrupt men and women in the House who need to be exposed. They noted
the failure of the committee to speak on the 74 luxury vehicles purchased
recently for over US$2,000,000.00 for the lawmakers.